Israel
EasyJet cancels all UK flights to Israel for six months
Budget airline pulls Israel fights for half a year as tensions rise in Middle East
April 16, 2024 11:27
Budget airline pulls Israel fights for half a year as tensions rise in Middle East
April 16, 2024 11:27EasyJet has cancelled all flights from the UK to Israel for more than six months in the wake of the Iranian attack over the weekend.
The airline said routes to Tel Aviv would be closed until 27 October and any customers booked onto flights before then would be offered a refund.
The Luton-based airline’s decision comes as the Foreign Office has advised against all travel to parts of Israel, including the northern border, the West Bank, and parts of the south closest to Gaza. The FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the rest of Israel.
A spokesperson for easyJet said: “As a result of the continued evolving situation in Israel, easyJet has now taken the decision to suspend its flights to Tel Aviv for the remainder of the summer season until 27 October.
“Customers booked to fly on this route up to this date are being offered options including a full refund.”
After Iran’s attack, the budget airline suspended flights until April 21, but it has now extended the ban to cover the entire summer season and the next six months.
Wizz Air also cancelled flights to Israel following Iran’s onslaught. Wizz Air said there could be schedule changes when flights resumed on Tuesday. It said it was monitoring the situation.
Elsewhere, Air Canada, Delta, Iberia and Lufthansa suspended flights to Tel Aviv on Sunday and Monday amid increasing tensions in the Middle East. Delta will resume its daily service to Tel Aviv from New York in June.
Irish low-cost airline Ryanair is set to resume flights between Israel and Italy, Malta, Hungary, Cyprus and other European destinations, starting on 2 June.
The move comes after the decision to reopen Ben-Gurion Airport’s Terminal 1 at the beginning of June, which charges lower passenger fees than the larger and newer Terminal 3.
The Israel Airports Authority decided to halt activity at Terminal 1 after the war broke out on October 7. As a result, all flights departing from Ben-Gurion Airport currently use Terminal 3.